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CREATIVITY - A PRECIOUS GIFT

Maggie Guillebaud, Cathedral Associate Priest (Tuesday 1st June 2010)

Creativity is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity. There is no other species on earth apart from humans that possess this unique gift. We have the ability to co-ordinate hand and eye to produce the glories of a medieval Cathedral, to write music, to paint, model clay, chisel stone, compose poetry, write soap operas and enthral thousands by the thrashing of guitars or the singing of the blues.

In his seminal book of the 1950s Motivation and Personality the psychologist Maslow proposed a theory of how humans were motivated, how they achieved satisfaction in their lives. He illustrated this by his famous pyramid of the hierarchy of need, at the bottom of which were such basic needs as water, breathing, food and sleep. At the very top of his pyramid, when all other basic and not-so-basic needs had been satisfied, were morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and the acceptance of facts. These were, one might say, the crown of a civilized society.

We are fortunate indeed that we live in a country where not only are many of our basic needs taken care of but where creativity is permitted to flourish, and is indeed encouraged: the public subsidy of the arts has been a precious part of our heritage since 1948. The Cathedral places a high premium on creativity in all its forms, and this month the Cathedral plays host to some wonderful events during the Salisbury International Arts Festival.

But if the blossoming of creativity is one of the highest functions of a civilized society let us not forget those who by the very nature of their existence in the rotting slums of the mega-cities throughout the world, or eking out precarious livings on the land do not have the energy or the opportunity to discover their creative selves. In being denied this opportunity they are being denied one of God's most precious gifts. Because it is in our creativity that we come to know ourselves, extend the limits of what we believe we can do, and reflect back to God the glory of his creation as we attempt to interpret the world in all its pain and glory. This gift belongs to us all; and this Cathedral is a living testament to that fact.

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